http://www.seattlepi.com/local/article/Money-WA-school-among-best-colleges-for-lovers-10949485.php
Money: Washington school among best colleges for lovers of the great outdoors
Updated 6:42 pm, Tuesday, February 21, 2017
10. Bowdoin College
Brunswick, Maine
This top-rated college north of Portland along the Maine coast has to be a top-choice for outdoorsy East Coast students looking to get educated and stay outside. With Maine's ample opportunities to enjoy hiking, camping, fishing and other outdoor activities, and still within reach of the White Mountain National Forest, Bowdoin hardly rates low for the outdoor-minded college student.
Close to: White Mountain National Park, Acadia National Park.
less10. Bowdoin College
Brunswick, Maine
This top-rated college north of Portland along the Maine coast has to be a top-choice for outdoorsy East Coast students looking to get educated and stay outside. With
... more9. Dartmouth College
Hanover, New Hampshire
Like the University of New Hampshire, Dartmouth also offers access to the state's White Mountain National Forest -- albeit significantly closer than UNH. Dartmouth also has an Outing Club, and with the Appalachian Trail running down Hanover's Main Street, students won't want for outdoor connections at this top-shelf school.
Close to: White Mountain National Forest, Green Mountain National Forest.
less9. Dartmouth College
Hanover, New Hampshire
Like the University of New Hampshire, Dartmouth also offers access to the state's White Mountain National Forest -- albeit significantly closer than UNH. Dartmouth
... more8. Carroll College
Helena, Montana
Helena may not be the destination city in Montana (it's not), but the surrounding outdoors leave little to be desired. With mountain bike trails that are revered across the state, hiking almost right out of downtown, nearby skiing, and, with a little more effort, access to two of America's best national parks -- Glacier and Yellowstone -- Carroll College's location is top shelf for those looking to get a high-level education and keep up with their avid outdoors pursuits.
Close to: Lewis and Clark National Forest, Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest, Helena National Forest.
less8. Carroll College
Helena, Montana
Helena may not be the destination city in Montana (it's not), but the surrounding outdoors leave little to be desired. With mountain bike trails that are revered across the
... more7. University of New Hampshire
Durham, New Hampshire
With a campus that includes 250 acres of outdoors, an Outing Club and the nearby White Mountain National Park, UNH can keep the outdoor lover in shape while getting a proper education.
Close to: Cape Cod National Sea Shore, Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area, White Mountain National Forest.
less7. University of New Hampshire
Durham, New Hampshire
With a campus that includes 250 acres of outdoors, an Outing Club and the nearby White Mountain National Park, UNH can keep the outdoor lover in shape
... more6. California State Polytechnic University-Pomona
Pomona, California
Cal Poly students can start by taking a hike right on campus, up to the letters "CPP" on a hill overlooking campus, accordiong to Money. Just for the record, you can do that at the University of Montana, too, except there you hike to the "M." Knitpicking aside, Cal Poly also has an 80-acre wildlife preserve on campus and a couple gardens. And then it's not far from some not insignificant national forests and recreation areas. Not bad.
Close to: Angeles National Forest, San Bernardino National Forest, Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, Cleveland National Forest.
less6. California State Polytechnic University-Pomona
Pomona, California
Cal Poly students can start by taking a hike right on campus, up to the letters "CPP" on a hill overlooking campus, accordiong to Money.
... more5. Pomona College
Claremont, California
Like the next in this list, Pomona sits at the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains, with access to hiking, camping, skiing and, in the other direction, the gorgeous Pacific beaches of the California coast. Outdoor clubs and an education center give students the chance to keep a firm grasp on the great out of doors that awaits nearby.
Close to: Angeles National Forest, San Bernardino National Forest, Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, Cleveland National Forest.
less5. Pomona College
Claremont, California
Like the next in this list, Pomona sits at the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains, with access to hiking, camping, skiing and, in the other direction, the gorgeous
... more4. Linfield College
McMinnville, Oregon
Planted firmly in Oregon's Willamette Valley, this small college makes for a good jumping-off point to access coastal forests and beaches to the west or the Cascade range to the east. And wine country all around keeps the drive scenic.
Close to: Mount Hood National Forest, Siuslaw National Forest, Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area, Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument, Willamette National Forest.
less4. Linfield College
McMinnville, Oregon
Planted firmly in Oregon's Willamette Valley, this small college makes for a good jumping-off point to access coastal forests and beaches to the west or the Cascade
... more3. Western Washington University
Bellingham, Washington
With lakes, mountains and islands all in the same county and a populace that loves to indulge those attributes, WWU is a gem for the outdoor enthusiast. And if the surrounding landscape isn't enough, the college campus is set among forests of its own with views over Bellingham Bay that are unmatched.
Close to: North Cascades National Park, Ross Lake National Recreation Area, Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, Olympic National Park, Lake Chelan National Recreation Area, Olympic National Forest.
less3. Western Washington University
Bellingham, Washington
With lakes, mountains and islands all in the same county and a populace that loves to indulge those attributes, WWU is a gem for the outdoor enthusiast.
... more2. University of Colorado
Boulder, Colorado
Most people who are even vaguely enthusiastic about the outdoors have CU on their list of schools for the outdoor-minded. Just northwest of Denver and a stone's throw from the Flatirons rock formations in the Front Range of the Colorado Rockies, CU is a mecca for the true adventurer who also wants an education.
Close to: Rocky Mountain National Park, Arapaho National Forest, Roosevelt National Forest, Pike National Forest, Pawnee National Grassland, Routt National Forest, Medicine Bow National Forest.
less2. University of Colorado
Boulder, Colorado
Most people who are even vaguely enthusiastic about the outdoors have CU on their list of schools for the outdoor-minded. Just northwest of Denver and a stone's
... more1. Washington and Lee University
Lexington, Virginia
Close to: Shenandoah National Park. Appalachian National Scenic Trail, New River Gorge National River, Monongahela National Forest, Bluestone National Scenic River, Gauley River National Recreation Area, George Washington and Jefferson National Forests.
less1. Washington and Lee University
Lexington, Virginia
Close to: Shenandoah National Park. Appalachian National Scenic Trail, New River Gorge National River, Monongahela National Forest, Bluestone National
... moreCollege is all about learning -- except for those hours when students aren't in the classroom or cramming for exams.
Which, if we're being honest, is often a lot of the time.
Some might like to spend that downtime checking out some urban culture and getting acclimated to the social scene. But some students are apt to look to the great outdoors -- and not the paved kind -- for their out-of-classroom pursuits.
For those lucky students, Money recently ranked the best colleges in the U.S for outdoor adventurers.
And as luck would have it, one Washington school (and yours truly's alma mater) nearly topped the list: Western Washington University.
Situated among trees and overlooking Bellingham, Western's campus starts out about as outdoorsy as you could ask for. But if you look to the surrounding area -- Lake Whatcom, Mount Baker, the North Cascades, Chuckanut Drive, the Skagit Valley, the San Juan Islands (I could go on awhile here) -- you can probably see how it made the list.
But Money's list was about more than just outdoors access. They looked at the best colleges in the country, then pulled out all those in areas with populations over 500,000 people, and added that the colleges must have an outdoors-minded club as one of the five most popular on campus. Then they ordered them based on proximity to national parks.
We gathered the full list in the slideshow above. Click through to see where your favorite outdoor school placed -- if it did.
